


no crying in the club

by tateroni



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Clubbing, Drinking, M/M, Smoking, Strangers to Lovers, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 06:30:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13405440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tateroni/pseuds/tateroni
Summary: Juho would usually complain about this, plant his feet and demand to be left alone for the rest of the night. But there’s a special kind of urgency in the way Youngbin pulls him along, as if this is the only place in the world they were ever meant to exist.After spending a few minutes pressed flush against Youngbin’s back while the other sways to the beat and allows his hands to wander Juho starts to believe it too.





	no crying in the club

**Author's Note:**

> yo... this took way too long smh basically theres just not enough fic for this pairing (when i started this fic there were,, literally only 2 so)  
> anyways yeah here it is hmu @wonshixx on tumblr  
> (also the titles are from the song crying in the club by camila cabello which was basically on repeat while i wrote this)

From his place on the rooftop, Juho can feel the bass still thrumming beneath his feet. He leans against the railing and takes a deep breath, cool air rushing against the hot skin of his neck and his face. His temples are aching and he's on edge. Too many unfamiliar faces and not enough room to breathe had him gasping for air and a quiet place only moments ago. Now he's taking another deep breath and waiting for his head to clear.

 

Juho pulls the pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his dark leather jacket, taps one out and lights it. He takes a long drag, eyes closed and head tilted ever so slightly back. The city lights catch the subtle highlight on his cheekbones and cast shadows against the hollows of his eyes. Then he's exhaling, smoke drifting away and seeming to disappear into the growing fog of the late night. He turns away from the city, leaning back with his elbows resting against the railing. He takes another hit and then lets the cigarette rest between his chapped lips as he pulls out his phone. He's surprised but not unhappy to find a few new messages from one of his friends, Sanghyuk. They had come to this club together after all, so maybe Juho shouldn't have been at all surprised to find the other checking up on him.

 

Or at least, he assumes that's what Sanghyuk had intended to do, not that his actual messages were of much help in figuring that out. Spelling errors and random punctuation rendered the messages undecipherable to most. Luckily, at this point Juho was fairly used to reading these jumbled texts and could almost fully understand them. He types out a quick response when he realizes these messages had been sent almost an hour ago and hopes that Sanghyuk hasn’t been worrying about him all that time.

 

He goes to take another drag on his cigarette but is interrupted by the service door slamming open. The silence and serenity of the rooftop is shattered as two forms fall across the threshold together. Juho hears an all too familiar riotous giggle paired with a warmer, slightly more dignified laugh echoing into the night and sighs, tossing what's left of his cigarette to the ground and stamping it out with the ball of his foot before heading towards the door and the two newcomers.

 

The first thing he notices as he draws near is that Sanghyuk is a complete mess, the curly hair in a tangled heap atop his head a far cry from the painstakingly styled mop it had been when the two of them had left for the club only a few hours ago. And then there’s the matter of the guy currently hanging off of Sanghyuk. He’s also a mess, but somehow he’s managed to be a beautiful and even somewhat dignified mess. His brown hair parts in the center and falls gracefully to either side of his forehead and one sleeve of his dark green sweater slides off of a smooth shoulder to reveal more than enough neck and upper chest for Juho to briefly imagine tracing the hard lines of the guys defined collarbone with his lips.

 

Juho almost physically shakes his head to clear the thoughts away because he doesn't even know who this person is, doesn't know if Sanghyuk is expecting anything from him, doesn't know if he's even a good guy. Juho is a lot of things but he is not quick to trust and he's sure as hell not a cockblock so he averts his eyes, shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket and forces the biggest smile he can. (It's not much.)

 

“I knew you would be here,” Sanghyuk slurs loudly and tilts his head towards Juho in an 'I know you too well' sort of way. The boy has clearly had far too much to drink and Juho silently scolds himself for not taking better care of his friend. Luckily being a drunken mess suits Sanghyuk and the guy with him seems nothing short of charmed by his antics as he offers Juho a warm, amused smile. They all meet up halfway across the rooftop, Juho not wanting Sanghyuk any closer to the edge of this roof than he has to be.

 

"You got me," he offers in a weak voice, putting his hands up in admittance of his own guilt before reaching out and sliding Sanghyuk off of the stranger and allowing the boy to drape himself across his own shoulders instead. Sanghyuk wraps his arms tight around Juho's torso and buries his face into the crook of the younger's neck. The stranger frowns, looks down at his feet and exhales into his clasped hands. Was it chilly up here? Juho hadn't really noticed.

 

"OH!" Sanghyuk yells suddenly, head shooting up and nearly colliding with Juho's jaw. "I found someone," he tries and (mostly) succeeds in standing on his own, reaches out for the man who had only just started to look like a true third wheel. Sanghyuk grips tight to the guy’s shoulder, denies that it's all he can do to keep the world from spinning and gestures to Juho who stands opposite them, arms crossed firmly over his chest. He's not trying to look displeased but he's sure it comes across that way. And so what if he looks a little bit unhappy, sort of hard or scrutinizing. Because, as much as he loves his friend, Sanghyuk does not have the best track record of meeting decent guys at clubs.

 

"This is Juho," Sanghyuk says with a gesture and a hint of over excitement in his voice, "And this is," he pauses for a moment and at first Juho assumes it's just for dramatic effect but when a name never comes tumbling from Sanghyuk’s mouth he frowns and quirks an eyebrow at the pair standing before him. At least Sanghyuk finally has the sense to look embarrassed. The stranger grins and extends a hand for Juho to take, looking almost apologetic on the other's behalf.

 

"I'm Youngbin," he introduces himself, locking eyes as they shake hands. Juho tries hard not think about that meaning anything and focuses instead on how cold Youngbin's skin is against the warmth of his own palm which has been buried in his pockets for the past few minutes. How cold is it up here anyways?

 

Beside them Sanghyuk is grinning like a little kid, clearly proud of himself. He’s now somehow more stable on his own than he had been twenty minutes ago, steady on his own two feet. Not that Juho would ask him to do much more than stand.

 

The three of them stand together on the roof in a less than comfortable silence for just a moment too long before Juho finally clears his throat and speaks up.

 

“So what exactly did you need me for hyung?” he asks, “Are you and your boytoy ready to head home or were you just checking up?” he’s unable to hide the irritation that grows in his voice as he mentions heading home. Maybe clubbing and parties weren't always his thing, but rooftop cigarettes most definitely were and he hadn’t even had a chance to work on any lyrics yet. Beside him Youngbin scoffs at the mention of boytoy.

 

“I just wanted you to meet...” he trails off, “y'know,” he’s gesturing to Youngbin, trying desperately to produce a name again. When he can’t he simply moves on, “So what do you think? Do you like him? Isn’t he the cutest?” and suddenly Sanghyuk is gushing, full of compliments and praise and he’s hanging off of the other boy again, hands wandering comfortably across Youngbin’s chest and seeking out any patch of exposed skin he can find. Juho pretends not to notice the way Youngbin is looking at him because Sanghyuk, his friend Sanghyuk, is currently draping himself desperately across the other guy and while Youngbin seems to find Sanghyuk cute there’s something entirely different in his eyes when he returns his gaze to Juho. Something that gives him chills along with the sudden gust of icy wind against him.

 

The three of them talk for a long time about anything and everything they can think of. Youngbin turns out to be a dance major at the arts college a few blocks away and Sanghyuk begs and begs until he promises a free dance lesson. Juho is coerced into a moment of freestyle rap by Sanghyuk who has apparently been singing his praises all night long. The look on Youngbin’s face when he finishes is something he’ll probably never forget and Juho grins when the other guy starts to talk music theory with him. Sanghyuk, however, grows sleepier and impossibly more clingy with each word not directly related to his own interests until they finally decide to gently sit him down, propped up against an air conditioning unit. His eyes flutter closed and he blows Youngbin and Juho an impossible amount of kisses before leaning into the warm metal of the vents and allowing himself a moment to rest.

 

With his drunk friend now safely situated (for the time being) Juho decides to walk back towards the roof's edge and he invites Youngbin to follow him with a tilt of his head.

 

They lean together against the ice cold metal of the railing, Juho facing out towards the city and Youngbin with his back to the lights, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. Juho reaches into his jacket again, pulls out the neat box of cigarettes and taps one out, offers it to Youngbin who hesitates only a moment before taking it and resting it in his mouth. Juho fumbles with the lighter, finger slipping as he holds Youngbin's gaze. Neither of them look away as a small flame is finally brought to life between them, as Juho lights Youngbin's cigarette carefully, as Youngbin takes his first drag. Juho almost forgets to breathe, his own cigarette still clutched between his fingers and his eyes trained on Youngbin's lips.

 

Juho can't help but laugh as Youngbin exhales shakily, trying his hardest not to cough and looking unnecessarily apologetic. It's honestly one of the most endearing things he's seen in a long time and soon Youngbin is laughing quietly with him.

 

"You could have said no to the cigarette," Juho says, voice warm and eyes smiling. Youngbin is staring down at his feet but still grinning.

 

"I haven't smoked in years," he confesses, shifting his weight from side to side as he finally meets Juho's eyes again, "I didn't want you to think..." he trails off because, what exactly had he been worried about? He purposefully averts his eyes, looks back over to where they left Sanghyuk sitting. The quiet that envelops them isn't exactly uncomfortable but there’s something there. Juho sighs and finally lights his own cigarette.

 

**

 

It’s not long before Sanghyuk is stirring, cracking his eyes open just enough to see two silhouettes, dark against the blinding city lights. He closes his eyes again when he feels a sharp pain at his temple, but when that doesn’t make the pain go away he decides he’ll just have to keep drinking to stave off the inevitable hangover. He groans, pushes himself to his feet (with the assistance of the AC unit that had so kindly held him upright as he dozed) and tries to collect himself, runs a hand through his hair and hopes that he doesn’t look as disgusting as he’s slowly starting to feel. 

 

He ambles over to his friends. Juho is looking at him with such sympathy and he suddenly wonders just how rough he looks. Youngbin is still smiling gently at him though which leads him to believe that he can’t possibly look  _ that _ rough. He reaches out for the two in front of him, snakes one hand around Juho’s shoulders and takes Youngbin’s hand with the other before dragging them towards the door back into the club. Neither of them really have the heart to complain.

 

> **

 

Soon they're deep within the belly of the beast, surrounded by people and the sound of the music cranked up impossibly high. The temperature is quickly rising, the rooftop chill finally thawing into a light sweat as Sanghyuk drags the three of them through the crowd and towards the bar. He says something to the bartender that neither Juho nor Youngbin can hear and moments later some kind of fruity drink with a twisty straw and an impossibly high alcohol content is being pressed into Juho’s palm and he would be an idiot to turn it away. He turns to Youngbin and they clink their glasses together, careful to avoid spilling any of the colorful liquid on their clothes, then both take long sips.

 

The taste is painfully sweet against Juho's tongue but he keeps drinking it anyways, watches Youngbin downing his own drink. They briefly glimpse Sanghyuk merging with the crowd of people again, following his bobbing head for as long as they can before it becomes impossible to distinguish beneath the flashing lights and hazy atmosphere. Juho throws his head back, downing the last of his drink. When he takes the heavy glass away from his mouth he’s screwing his face up at the intensity of sweet and sour and Youngbin is giggling at him, cheeks rosy and eyes bright. They’re both smiling now and Youngbin decides to finish off his own drink in a similar fashion. 

 

They quickly find a place to deposit their empty glasses along one edge of the bar and linger there for as long as the bartender will allow without making them order anymore drinks. It turns out to be an impossibly short four minutes before the man behind the bar is shooing them away to make room for more people who actually want to use the bar for that which it was intended.

 

So instead they shuffle away from the bar, faces growing flush from a combination of the drinks kicking in and the heat of the other bodies in the small room. They wander together, never quite reaching the main dance floor but tracing its outline through the crowd. Juho doesn’t recognize the music and for the most part Youngbin doesn’t either. But he remains undeterred from swaying to the beat and trying his best to egg Juho on, a gentle reminder of the fact that this man is a  _ dance major _ and how exactly that might impact his sex life.

 

Finally the song changes, steady bassline shifting slightly to a new rhythm. Youngbin recognizes it right away, feels himself inherently drawn to the ebb and flow of the melody and the sea of people clustered together on the dancefloor proper, and before he knows it he’s lacing his fingers with Juho’s and tugging him gently into the crowd. Juho would usually complain about this, plant his feet and demand to be left alone for the rest of the night. But there’s a special kind of urgency in the way Youngbin pulls him along, as if this is the only place in the world they were ever meant to exist.

 

After spending a few minutes pressed flush against Youngbin’s back while the other sways to the beat and allows his hands to wander Juho starts to believe it too.

 

Youngbin is, unsurprisingly, all lean muscle and no matter where Juho puts his hands he can feel the gentle shift of muscle beneath his calloused fingertips and it starts to seriously mess with his head. His hands are seeking out every bit of exposed skin and Juho would normally be embarrassed by being so forward except that it’s all he can do to keep his lips from doing the seeking instead. And of course Youngbin is still egging him on, wrapping his slender fingers around Juho’s wrists and guiding his hands to all the places that Youngbin finds himself  _ wanting _ Juho to touch. Their hands glide together across the bare skin of Youngbin’s toned stomach, and when they reach his hips Juho digs his fingertips possessively into the skin there and they both relish in the sudden feeling of intimacy with a stranger. Juho trails cold slender fingers up and along Youngbin’s rib cage and the older shudders. Against his better judgement he spins around, still safely within Juho’s grip. Their faces are inches apart, canted just so, both itching for contact but neither one sure enough to move any closer.

 

A tipsy girl with long dark hair and big eyes spills her drink near their feet as she collides with Juho’s back, knocking him into Youngbin and subsequently pressing their lips almost forcefully together. At first its raw, there’s a lot of teeth and too much tongue and its not quite right but then Juho finds himself chasing the sweet aftertaste of Youngbin’s drink from earlier and Youngbin lets him, opens every aspect of himself and allows Juho to drink him in. The girl and her half-hearted apologies are long gone by the time they break apart, nothing left but the little puddle of something unidentifiable beside their feet.

 

Nothing about the night really changes. Juho and Youngbin continue dancing on each other, seeking each other out, kissing when the physical contact isn’t quite enough. Sanghyuk finds them like this, literally bumps into them and hardly recognizes them, their faces attached at the lips and the drunken haze causing his vision to blur. When he finally realizes what’s happening he nearly chokes on his own spit and decides quickly that it’s time to go before his best friend ends up fucking some guy in a club and regretting it in the morning.

 

He reaches out and takes hold of Juho’s arm, tugs just enough to get the other’s attention and to pry the two apart. 

 

“Let’s go, yeah?” Sanghyuk yells over the music, trying his best to look as serious as he can. Juho frowns slightly but doesn’t protest, just allows his friend to drag him through the crowd by one hand, the other clasped tightly to Youngbin who is unknowingly along for the ride.

 

**

 

The air outside of the club is cold, somehow colder than it had felt on the rooftop. The streetlights are all still on but the sun is already beginning to rise, peeking gently between tall city buildings and illuminating the clouds. Sanghyuk, Juho and Youngbin are standing together beneath a lamp post, giggling about nothing in particular, continuing old conversations and generally enjoying each others company after a long night. Sanghyuk shifts his weight from side to side, trying to ease the pain in his tired feet.

 

Youngbin is, of course, plastered to Juho’s side, hands roaming and clinging to anything they can find. Juho is more than happy to let him. Sanghyuk tries desperately to ignore what’s happening, doesn’t even want to imagine what’s going to go down when they inevitably end up in bed together later tonight. He just hopes against hope that Juho loves him enough to never mention it in any amount of detail to him.

 

When Juho and Youngbin start to get especially handsy Sanghyuk remembers why he had dragged everyone out of the club in the first pace. He forces them apart, moving between them and trying to get everyone to start walking in the direction of their apartment building. They all move together, stagger slightly together and end up tangled together where they stand at the nearest crosswalk, happily idle as they wait for the light to change. 

 

Except, the light is taking too long and Juho is getting more and more antsy as Youngbin caresses his knuckles with calloused fingertips. So he breaks free of Youngbin and Sanghyuk, checks both ways quickly before stepping out into the road and beginning to make the cross himself when the traffic seems to have cleared. Halfway across the striped pavement he stops, turns around to his friends to beckon them, wonders why they haven't followed him already. He’s surprised to find them, not smiling as they had been, but full of worry and fear. Sanghyuk starts to yell something that Juho never hears. All he knows is that suddenly something hurts and everything goes black.


End file.
